Tuesday 31 May 2011

Springfield Mile photos

Mick Kirkness on a Suzuki, gives a lesson in style. Came 9th in Main.
Pro Singles freight train.
Brad Baker, on the Llotd Bros Ducati, was a great 5th overall.
Jake Johnson, chased by Brad Baker and Kenny Coolbeth
42, Bryan Smith back on a Harley came 17th. This is a heat race. 15 Nicole Cheza made the main, came 12th. 59 Willie McCoy came 6th. 24 Logan Myers didn't make the main.
Shawn Baer on the Bonnevile Performance Triumph. Made the main, came 14th.
Mees and Halbert loving banging bars.
Mees 1st, Halbert 2nd, Johnson 3rd.
Photos courtesyt of AMA Pro Racing

Terriers

From Captain Simon:
My dad, joined the Terriers aged 16 in 1933 because if you went on camp you got some great boots for 2/6d which you were allowed to keep, and not only that if you joined the regimental band you not only got taught how to play an instrument for free, went to lots of dances, you also got out of all that marching, square bashing, spud peeling and being shouted at, in the band people spoke to you nicely, then some inconsiderate git invaded Poland and they all got dis-banded.

Monday 30 May 2011

HepTown straight ahead

A couple of discs arrived at Sideburn HQ from Swedish retro culturalists HepTown. Now, stuff dropping on the mat is no guarantee of anything, so don't bother getting any ideas Mr Jay-Z.

First up, Astrolites - Play For Keeps. A three-piece (guitar, bass, drums) putting out, in their words, 'original hi-speed rockabilly'. It's that power rockabilly, more akin to The Stray Cats having a bust-up with The Cramps rather than purist Charlie Feathers twang-a-chug. Dick Dale, Duane Eddy, Billy Lee Riley... all in there. You're making yourself a cheese sandwich and this'll make you cut way too much off the cheddar and slice the bread all to cock. It made me run into the next room and punch the living shit out of an imaginary foe. It's that sort of thing. Great for making you feel like you're driving a slammed '37 Ford to a rumble, rather than the Multipla to Tesco. Almost all the tracks are originals written by the band, but a robust cover of Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire injects the urgency of a full-throttle search for a public toilet following an especially potent chilli-fest. Definitely worth a spin.

Next, Duck and Cover - The Pasadena Recordings. This throws you further back, to the Southern USA of the '40s and '50s. Far more mellow, bit of swing, bit of Ernest Tubb-style honky-tonk (and a Hank Williams cover, in fact), some rock 'n' roll. Great cover of Wanda Jackson's 'Funnel of Love'. Pretty authentic sound and apparently recorded on vintage equipment and all that. Now, instead of making me want to fight, this stuff prompts me to grab hold of Mrs P for a bit of impromptu bare-foot front-room dancin'. OK, I call it dancing, for Mrs P it's more of an unfortunate meeting with a twitching, tongue-lolling idiot, but she's very good about it and simply wipes the drool off her clothes and pretends it never happened.

Good albums, both. Seek them out. MP

Hawkwind

From our eagle eyed Skooter Farm legal department...
"Hey Ben and Gary, check out the new official 2011 AMA Grand National shirt design! Traditionally a gaudy affair...where do you think they got inspiration for this design from?"
Something about it does look vaguely familiar... I dunno was it on that Orange County Choppers show? definite Hawkwind influence. BP

Sado Maso


Links links links. The other day, a mate emailed me to say he was listening to FIP, a French radio station that you can tune into online. So I did. There was some OK stuff, but then a stand-out track made me go hunting to see if I could find it on YouTube, and here it is in all its whip-kitsch glory. So, I sent the link to GI and he immediately recognised it from an edition of Sideburn resident DJ Sir Johnny Alpha's Killer Diller show. Download that show in its 90-minute entirety right here. You really should. Meanwhile, I'm late for my appointment for enslavement by agreeable Gallic vixens. MP

Sunday 29 May 2011

Mike, what are you doing?


This is Greaser Mike practising an unusual starting technique at a race in New York State. Find out what's going on at the Greaser Mike blog. G

Bionic Bigfootleg

The Geologist (at 0:23) looks remarkably like Sammy Halbert??? BP

Saturday 28 May 2011

Red Max at Bournemouth Show

From Steve Red Max (above working on his new Norton)...

Just want to remind everyone , we are having a flat track bike display on at the Battastini's custom show (California Dreaming) in Bournemouth this weekend (sat/sun).
Find us at Ace corner, turn left and keep turning left - cos it's all we know !
We are showing 70's race flat trackers amongst all the usual chromosexual custom stuff , so come and say hi .
There's a party Saturday night with bands and burlesque and a pin up competition (which Rachael has entered !- vote for her here by clicking "like" on her pic - second row, far right, looking in the mirror. You can do that without going.)
While in the competitive mood Racyrach has entered her Sporty cafe racer in the AMD custom show as well - Go Rach !
See y'all there , Steve REDMAX .

Friday 27 May 2011

Nine Lives x Co-Built

There I was thinking I couldn't love the Co-Built guys any more than I already do, then this Ian Roxburgh photo turns up. Geoff Co-Built making frames and exhausts in a Sideburn 9 Lives T-shirt. G

Meoow!

Well, a fella's got to have a hobby. G

Going Dutch

My Dutch brethren are getting the street tracker bug. BC has just turned out this tidy CB550 for Jelrik. He did everything apart from the powder coating; that includes the lovely tuck'n'roll seat and tail, with 'Honda' - cut out from an old points cover, inlaid on the top.Love the scallop paint job too. More details on his new blog
Raw Candy. BP

Thursday 26 May 2011

Isle of Man TT News

A few people who read this blog are going out to the TT this year, so it's worth posting news that one of my favourite riders, the Californian Mark Miller has just been signed up to race the Aprilia RSV4 for UK team Splitlath. Mark won the Zero emissions race on the MotoCsysz last year.
He also wrote this amazing post about crashing while in the top ten of the Senior. G
UPDATE: Mark got in touch with photos of his new leathers. Keep an eye out for him.

741 Indian work-in-progress

Wieger at Star Twin in Holland has the resources to-hand, to build himself the most bling Ducati - and not just one tarted up with carbonfibre doo-dads but something serious peculiar with a one-off aluminium frame. But nah... He prefers 70 year-old Yanky heavy metal. BP

Flying Zacchinis Roppongi Wallet

Can't think of many better places for all these petrol receipts.

Wednesday 25 May 2011

DuQuoin Indoor Short Track

The Springfield TT and Mile is this weekend and we found these AMA Pro Racing photos we hadn't posted to whet your appetites. This is Jake Johnson in his Troy Lee pyjamas.
Indoor short track rules. This is DuQuoin all prepped for the race on April 16, earlier this year.
Nicole Cheza seems to do better on the big tracks. She didn't make the main at DuQuoin.
Robert Pearson styling.
Jared Mees leads Jake Johnson. Jake came third in the main, J-Rod fourth.
Sammy Halbert and Johnny Leiws. This looks like a battle. Sammy was 5th, Johnny 8th.
The podium - Chris Carr in his farewell year shows he's still happy to have a few rounds of fighting in a phone booth. Kenny Coolbeth won. G

Metisse XS650 for sale

Spotted by Drogo on UK eBay.

Tuesday 24 May 2011

Garrett Smokes (most of) them!

From Garrett in Colorado.

What's up GI?
If all goes well, I'll be taking a second shot at flat track this Saturday. Worked the bike over a bit: new Works shocks, Davey Durelle re-valved, shortened, and re-sprung forks, new plug, adjusted timing, and went to a larger rear sprocket.
Hope to get lapped by fewer people this time!
Garrett


I didn't post it in time, because he followed it up with...

No pics yet, but a couple youtubes:
1st heat:


Main:

I know my style sucks, but what can ya do?
And Barry of the Shawn Murray-tanked Sportster, winning a great battle in
Hooligans:


What the hell came second? An FZR600? Respect! G

Sunday Night, Monday Morning

My old mate Matt says, 'We've got a spare ticket for The Black Lips at the Brudenell tonight. Do you want it'
[Thinks] It's 115 miles away. [Says] 'Yeah!'
I'm glad I did. It was great. G